Congrats on finding land you love! Below is a link to an old Gardenweb thread you might want to read before closing on the land purchase. If there are things mentioned that you haven't done before you close, they should definitely be at the top of your list to take care of ASAP. As for doing part of work on the house yourselves, it is certainly possible but how successful you'll be depends in large part on just how 'handy' you really are and on how much time and energy you have to devote. You don't mention having any children yet but, since you mentioned wanting 3 or 4 bedrooms and that you're in your late 20's, I'm guessing that you may plan on having a child or two eventually. A pregnancy WHILE you are in the midst of building can severely cut into your time/energy for devoting to the build while simultaneously putting a sense of pressure on you to 'just get the darned house finished!' LOL! So, my advice is be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. But, if you have some actual building experience already... like maybe having volunteered extensively with Habitat for Humanity or having done some major renovations on a previous home... and can accurately judge both your skill level and the time you'll have available to devote - then go for it. Nobody else will ever put as much CARE into building your home as you will! Getting a contractor who is in charge of finishing the entire house to agree to let you do certain portions of the work yourself MAY prove difficult. Contractors are much more likely to prefer to hire 'professionals' under the claim that they can rely on professionals to get in and get the job done and that having the homeowner do part of the work could delay the overall progress. It also puts you and the general contractor in a rather odd relationship in that, the general contractor works for you but, to the extent you are acting as subcontractor for some portion of the work, you work for him. It kind of blurs the lines of authority. It is also possible to enter into a contract with a builder to him do the foundation, framing, rough plumbing, roofing, and finish the shell (up to dried-in stage or to the sheetrocked stage or to whatever point you decide) and, once he has completed all the work he was hired to do, he gets paid and steps out of the picture leaving you to finish the rest of it yourselves...either by directly hiring subcontractors or by doing the hands on work yourselves. Getting a bank on board with this kind of plan can be a bit difficult though. Banks typically want the house to be finished and ready to be lived in when the last of the construction loan money is drawn down. Plus, if there are any warranty issues once the house is fully complete, it can be difficult to nail down responsibility. Another option would be to go the owner-builder route so that your are your own general contractor for the entire build. That way you hire can subcontractors or do specific jobs yourself, as you desire. You're in total charge. There are consulting companies that, for a fee (which is much less than a general contractor's typical percentage) will guide and assist you as you owner-build. They lead you thru the applicable laws so that you get all the necessary permits and inspections, advise you on the order in which to do various jobs...including how far in advance one usually needs to order certain materials, provide you with lists of pre-vetted subcontractors which you can choose to hire, etc. They'll even help you find banks that will give construction loans to owner-builders. Working with such a consulting company can give you the same clout with subcontractors that a volume builder would have because the subcontractors know that, if they don't do a good job for you, they lose all future business that might come their way via the owner-builder consultant. (And owner-builders tend to pay subcontractors ON TIME so, once they've worked for an OB, many subcontractors actually wind up preferring it.) Be aware that, as an owner-builder, YOU are responsible for any state mandated warranties if you sell the house to someone else before the warranty periods have expired. My sense, from being on this board for more than 5 years now, is that owner-building is MUCH more common (and much more accepted) in the south than in the north...maybe because we tend to have fewer laws that protect homeowners from being victimized by unscrupulous builders here in the south so, to protect themselves, more southerners decide to owner-build. Or, maybe it is simply because having warmer weather most of the year just makes owner-building seem more attractive. Let's face it, most of us know that we don't want to be freezing our buns off hanging sheetrock or installing tile in an unfinished unheated shell in the middle of the winter! We don't even want to have to be closely inspecting a sub-contractor's work when it's 20 degrees outside. LOL! I know at least a dozen different people who have owner-built custom homes (with guidance from one of several different owner-builder consulting companies) and every single one of them says that they saved money, got a nicer home, and would owner-build again in a heartbeat. As for plans... you have several options for finding a plan and there are pros and cons to each: 1) If you want a custom design, hire an architect and have them create one just for you. Expect to pay anywhere from about $5/sq foot to 15% or more of your build price for architectural services. Price depends how detailed you want the plans and specs to be and what services, if any, you want the architect to provide beyond just rendering basic plans. If you want the architect to oversee the build process (i.e., ride head on the general contractor) expect to pay quite a bit more than if you just want them to render plans for you. At a minimum, if I hired an architect, I would want them to provide plans and complete specifications and then agree to be available (perhaps for an hourly fee) to settle any disputes regarding interpretation of the plans. And I would also expect them to provide, for free, any additional architectural services that proved necessary due to any flaws/omissions in the original plans. 2) Find a design online or in a house plan book that you generally like, purchase it along with a CAD version, and have it modified as needed to meet local codes. Some of the online plan sources now ask where you plan to build. I assume they do so so that they can advise you on whether the plan you have chosen already meets the building codes in your jurisdiction or can be modified easily to meet codes. Unless you find a plan that needs very very little modification to suit you perfectly though, you may wind up wasting significant time and money going this route. And apparently a lot of architects really don't like being asked to modify a pre-existing plan. You may have more luck if you hire a younger architect who is hungry for work. Alternatively, take the CAD to a draftsman to revise then have it the revised plan reviewed by a structural engineer with knowledge of local code requirements. Note that, in this case, if there are any flaws/omissions in the final plans, you're on your own hook to work out an acceptable solution with the builder. 3) Find a house built locally that you like, track down the architect and find out if he/she will license the plan to you. Be aware that if the house was fully custom, the architect may have contracted with the homeowner NOT to re-license the same work within a certain distance from the original build. (Folks who have paid for a truly custom design may not want another home exactly like theirs being built a block away!) Building a house from a plan that has already been successfully built minimizes that chances that there are undiscovered flaws/omissions in the plan. 4) Hire a design/build company that has an architect/draftsman on board. The really major potential problem with going this route is that, once you have a satisfactory plan, you can't put the design out for competitive bids. You are locked into either accepting the price the design/build company gives you for building the house or starting back over at square one. And, if midway thru the build, you find you have to fire your builder (it happens) or he goes bankrupt (it also happens), I'm not at all sure what legal right you would have to use the plans to finish the build. 5) Hire a volume builder and just choose one of their designs. Typically the only customizing that a volume builder will allow is in the finish work. I.e., you can choose paint colors, carpet colors, and choose from among the a limited palette of tiles, hardwoods, plumbing fixtures, and lighting fixtures. Don't go in thinking you can ask them to move walls or add in a window or two. Probably won't happen! 6) Design your own home. This takes an immense amount of time and study. It is definitely NOT for the faint of heart or those who are unwilling to learn one heck of a lot about architectural design and building codes AND be willing to learn to use a reasonably good CAD program. It also probably helps to have a good knowledge of basic physics and, even then, you'll probably eventually want to have your design carefully reviewed by a structural engineer. And of course, if there are any flaws/omissions in the design, coming up with a way to fix them is all on you. Here is a link that might be useful: What do you need to do/know if buying raw land

I don't think you are understanding the process or how plumbing faucets actually works. All tub faucets have the trim and the valves separately. And all need an access hole in a tub skirt or adjacent closet etc. to be able to install the valves. They don't install from above at all. The trim installs above after the rough ins are done below the deck. The set you have would work with some extenders. And the set you are buying will probably work. But only if you have access to install it. You either need a different plumber who can explain things better to you, or can have some initiative to make things work here. This post was edited by live_wire_oak on Sun, Mar 10, 13 at 14:15

Joanne, Remember, I warned you.......Nothing connected with greenhouses is ever simple.....The answers to these simple questions will get long and sometimes deep. When you do something and it turns out not to be the best of choices, don't get upset and want to change everything, just try to figure out a fix. That's really half the fun, right after you finish pulling your hair out!!!! Now, greenhouse on concrete slab..... Yes, the slab is or probably is level, and smooth. you can drill holes in it and anchor the greenhouse to embedded bolts, and it won't go anyplace. But. If you put the foundation flat on the concrete it will NOT drain. the wood will swell when it gets wet, and seal the greenhouse to the concrete, and little water will escape, keeping the wood wet and sealed to the concrete. Redwood won't rot, so there is not a huge issue with rotting your foundation, just the capture of water. If you raise the foundation off the concrete with spacers so water can drain, then you have outside air leaking into the house, interfering with your interior climate control, and costing you much $$$$$. The critters will find these spaces too...they have this uncanny sense for locating warm places in cold weather, and moist places in dry. Another issue is that concrete that is kept moist or wet is the perfect medium for algae growth. It will get green, and very slippery, not to mention smelly and unsightly. Every greenhouse I have ever seen with concrete walkways had them elevated a bit above the floor of the house so they would dry quickly. There always seemed to be at least one low wet spot that would require a Clorox wash periodically to prevent a slippery spot. If you put the house on level ground, the water will keep the soil inside moist, aiding in the humidification of the inside air. Perhaps a gravel cover to prevent soil becoming mud, and maybe a few rough textured "stepping stones" placed in strategic places would help. You could build a perimeter of brick or concrete blocks to put the house on, and pile dirt around the outside o them to fill the cracks, and aid in draining water coming off the outside of the house away from it. See how simple it all is? Yes, I did post some information in Greenhouses and Garden Structures on this forum. A lady there has posted an absolutely stunning blog with very detailed explanations and photos of the greenhouse she and her husband built. You can surely pick up some pointers there. I also gathered what few photos I had and posted a very brief story of my "very portable greenhouse". No culture or construction details there, just the story of one young sailor obsessed with doing something a bit different. Check my profile. Don't let me discourage you with my ramblings, just gather info and make the best decisions you can based on your specific conditions, and ENJOY. Bill

Brianne; You have a fabulous entry to light & transform your home. I see many great options here for the hanging fixture. I also see the sconces as equally important. I would not match the chandelier exactly & would treat them separately. I also notice that on the second floor landing that you would need a fixture to finish off the transformation. The side table when finished would offer you another warm & decorative option. I see that you are getting many ideas here. It is always a function of what your taste & my expertise is to offer & guide you. I do not want to compete on a open forum. I work extremely we well remotely & have 40 years of lighting design experience. My website is www.lightvisionconceots.com & email is craig@lightvisionconcepts.com. I would would need a commitment from you to provide my services. Thank you!! Craig Barre